G20 under pressure to deliver on climate ahead of UN talks

G20 leaders gather for a second day of their Rome summit on Oct. 31, with all eyes on whether they can deliver a meaningful commitment on climate change ahead of crucial U.N. talks.

The Group of 20 major economies emit nearly 80 percent of carbon emissions, and a promise of action would provide a much-needed boost to COP26 climate talks starting in Glasgow on Oct. 31.

But draft communiques suggest they would fall short of a firm pledge to keep global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels or a clear timeline on how to reach net zero emissions.

Experts say meeting the 1.5 degree target - the most ambitious goal in the 2015 Paris climate deal - means slashing global emissions nearly in half by 2030 and to "net-zero" by 2050.

However, some activists expressed hope that in the final hours of wrangling, some progress would be made before nearly 200 leaders, including many of those in Rome, fly to Scotland.

U.S. President Joe Biden is among those pushing for action in Rome, although his own ambitious climate policy is mired by infighting among his own party.

A senior U.S. official said elements of the final G20 statement "are still being negotiated", adding that the Rome summit was about "helping build momentum" before Glasgow.

The official expressed hope that the summit would commit "to end overseas financing of coal", offer "positive language" on decarbonizing the power sector and see more countries sign up to targets on cutting methane.

Speaking to the weekly Journal du Dimanche, French President Emmanuel Macron said that the Rome summit had to "do its utmost" to ensure the success of Glasgow, but that "nothing is ever written before a COP".

"Let's not forget that in Paris, in 2015,...